How to Make Yourself Prepared for Verbal Interview
‘Viva’ or ‘verbal interview’ is the hurdle to defense yourself, knowledge or thoughts. Sometimes it becomes so hard to overcome the total pressure of facing a verbal interview. For an experienced person, it is more common to do meetings, to give presentations, etc. So they are habituated with the fact & face any interview easily, whatever its job interviews or not. For fresh graduates, it is the hardest part for stating their career. Tension, pressure, confusion, dilemma all things come along facing a viva. By reading this article, it will be helpful for anyone howHow to Make Yourself Prepared for Verbal Interview
I) Steps to Follow After Getting an Interview Call
1) Research And Analysis
It may be 15 days or 7 days or a day before your interview when you received an interview call. Nowadays in general, most of the company prefer to call a candidate for an interview before 2 days minimum. In some cases, it may be just a night difference between your call & attendance. Don’t be panicked. If it is from any renown company, then it is a positive side & takes it as energy to face the interview. Whether it is renown or non-renown company, as you are not an employee there, you might not know company details. In modern time, it’s become easier to know any company & its profile through the internet. Use a search engine & visit the company website. You will get some common idea about the company. It’s a good practice to search in LinkedIn about the company. Maybe you will find some people working there. Try to visit their profile, can get some work information, company condition. Luckily if you get someone from the relevant department who you think maybe your interviewer, can find some info about his/her thinking, personal approach, etc. You can also search for another social networking site to repeat the same.
2) Homework and Question
If you are going to face the interview which is relevant to your academic skills, you must go through the top topics before facing the interview. If it is not relevant to academic skills, you might be thinking about what should you go through. Don’t be upset, there are several tips for you. You can check the JD (job description) which is the main element to know what types of questions are waiting for you. Try to memorize the minimum three major responsibilities for this job, you may be asked to describe a short note on JD. Also, read job location, additional requirements, special qualification was required for the job. Make Google search on JD, you will find some elaborate description. Read them & get confidence. It is nice if you know someone from the company or industry. Then it will easier to find the information about the interviewer. Prepare yourself for some widely asked questions, like introducing yourself, strength & weakness of yourself, your achievements, your inspirations, your mission & vision, why you are leaving the previous company, etc. Another important thing is the
3) Practice and Plan
You can do practice before approaching your interview. A mirror can
II) Steps to follow Before the Interview
1) Dress-up Etiquettes
Dress-up sense has a direct impact on the interview. It is necessary to choose the perfect dress for an interview. In some cases, interviewee forgets that he/she is not going to attend any fancy program or weeding. It is advice able by professionals to choose a soft color dress. For man, he can choose white, off-white, grey, sky-blue, lower shaded blue or purple single color, vertical stripe or check full sleeve shirt. It’s better not to choose a horizontal stripe as it has an impact on eye vision & height. He can choose a simple & shade matching tie if wish, though it is not mandatory. Can wear a blazer, coat or jacket if it is winter season. Try to avoid fancy stuff, even wearing a blazer or jacket or tie in summer. Gents can wear a wristwatch with a casual model. Choose formal shoes which don’t sound when you walk. Sometimes you have to take off your shoes, make sure your socks are odor-free & clean. For ladies, she can wear salwar kameez, saree, western wear as per company profile & her job criteria. In this case, it is advice able not to wear something which is not modest, try to be classy with simple, avoid tight-fitting dress. Try to choose a light color dress, less makeup & accessories as well as slippers. Sometimes for height issue, you may use hills but should select that which doesn’t make a sound when you walk. As usually can carry a simple handbag & wear a wristwatch not so fancy. It is professional advice to avoid black color dress as it reflects proudness in some case. In both case try to avoid the odor as you will have to make a journey & reach there, so can use a light smell perfume. Gents should be clean shaved & if you have a beard then must be in a good shape. You can exfoliate your face before night, it is going to look yourself cheerful. You can keep tissue & a comb so that you can fix your hair anytime. Make sure you brush your teeth properly on that day & have clean & small nails.
2) Sleep and Meal
It is necessary to have a sound sleep just before night if you have a morning scheduled interview. If you have an after lunch schedule you can take a nap of thirty minutes before two or three hours of the interview. It will help you to look fresh. Don’t let your tension to look beyond your face. Have a good & healthy breakfast or lunch. An empty stomach can block the cells of your brain to work & think properly. If you are a smoker avoid smoking that day to avoid bad smell. In some companies, it is restricted to hire smokers.
3) Printout and Confidence
Don’t forget to take a printout of your CV or resume. Attached a printed photograph on it, keep it in an envelope. Don’t forget to write your name, mobile no., email id, applied job, etc. on the envelope. It is best practice to keep a pen, pencil, scale, calculator while going for an interview. You may have to face written interview. Finally, before you leave your home, can go through important topics or just recall them. Always be confident & calm. You are going to meet some new people, not for war. So don’t give yourself unnecessary pressure. To avoid tension, you can take a warm bath before being dressed up. Take a deep breath, smile & step out for your interview to be on time.
III) Steps to Follow on Arrival at Interview
1) Startup Professionally
It is a minimum professional etiquette to reach before fifteen minutes. If you have to face the security guard, then tell them about your interview, hopefully, they will be aware of the schedule. As per company security rules, you may have to document your arrival time & get a visiting card; it is good to wear visiting card rather than keeping it in your bag or pocket. Then you have to go forward to the human resource department as per their instruction. You can greet them by good morning or good afternoon, or using salam or Adab, additionally asking how are you with a bright smile.
2) Calm Waiting
It is good practice to wait calmly & professionally when you are sitting for an interview. By this time, you may get fresh & up to look yourself confident. You should make your mobile phone silent mood & obviously it is not the time to chew gum or chatting with your friends by using your mobile phone. You may take a glass of water. In most case, tea or water is provided. Don’t make a sound while taking tea or coffee, it may bring a bad impression. Sometimes you might face written interview before the viva. Face confidently. Avoid cheating, using a mobile phone, ask permission before using a calculator, don’t side talk. When you are finished, follow their instructions. Avoid finger-boiling or gossiping with Competitors, a small introduction is acceptable. If you find a business magazine or corporate brochures, you can flick through these while waiting for your turn. You can keep your CV & a pen on your hand, it helps to be confident.
3) Attend the Interview
When it’s your turn, check if you have to remove your shoes or not. Ask polite permission before entering into the room. It may be a round table, a flat table or a circular table full of people. Greet them & wait until they tell you to take your seat. Sitting properly is an art. Don’t rush & sit with noise. Just make a proper positioning of chair & yourself & then sit. Make sure tension are not in your forehead & try to keep a smiley face, not so, a moderate. Give your best to face the questions. If you see your CV or resume are in front of them, no need to give them your CV. If not, you can approach it. Do eye contact while making conversation. If more than three persons then while answering, try to look at everyone periodically. If an interviewer asks you in Bangla, you can use the same language. If they talk in English, you have to speak English. Try to migrate their attention to yourself by your answer. After completing your interview, you might thank them for giving you the chance & greet them finally. Keep the chair in the right place & out of the room without making any unnecessary sound.
The interview is the most important part of a career. If you have a fear of facing an interview, success will be a locked room for you. It will be beneficial for you if you can follow mentioned three major steps followed by nine sub-steps, it will be easier for you to overcome the fear. If you habituated with these, you will feel good any interview facing. You can also use these steps for public speaking, meetings, presentations, seminars, etc. Best of luck for your upcoming interview.
Written by
Sharmin Akther Diba
Industrial & Production Engineer
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Sharmin Akther Diba
